over-intellectualization – victim tries too hard to understand and believes the manipulator has some understandable reason to be hurtful.

emotional dependency – victim has a submissive or dependent personality. The more emotionally dependent the victim is, the more vulnerable he or she is to being exploited and manipulated.

Manipulators generally take the time to scope out the characteristics and vulnerabilities of their victim.

According to Kantor,[3] the following are vulnerable to psychopathic manipulators:

too trusting – people who are honest often assume that everyone else is honest. They commit themselves to people they hardly know without checking credentials, etc. They rarely question so-called experts.

too dependent – dependent people need to be loved and are therefore gullible and liable to say yes to something to which they should say no.

too lonely – lonely people may accept any offer of human contact. A psychopathic stranger may offer human companionship for a price.

too impulsive – make snap decisions about, for example, what to buy or whom to marry without consulting others.

too frugal – cannot say no to a bargain even if they know the reason why it is so cheap

the elderly – the elderly can become fatigued and less capable of multi-tasking. When hearing a sales pitch they are less likely to consider that it could be a con. They are prone to giving money to someone with a hard-luck story. See elder abuse.